The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade: ‘If I’m choosing an All-Star, I’m not picking me’
Despite finishing with the second-most fan votes among Eastern Conference guards, Dwyane Wade did not get selected as an All-Star starter for the Feb. 17 game.
Wade has no problem with that.
The Heat guard has made it clear he believes other East guards deserve the honor over him, and he made the point again Friday.
“If I’m choosing an All-Star, I’m not picking me,” Wade said in advance of the Heat’s road game against the Cavaliers. “It’s not an indictment on anything, but guys that deserve to be All-Stars will be All-Stars.”
Boston’s Kyrie Irving and Charlotte’s Kemba Walker were the two East guards voted in as starters.
While Wade, who is in his 16th and final season before retirement, finished with the second-most fan votes among East guards, he was sixth in both the player and media vote. In the end with all of the different categories of votes accounted for (fan balloting 50 percent of the vote, with players and a media panel each accounting for 25 percent of the vote), he finished tied with Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons for third place.
There’s still hope for Wade to make one final All-Star Game before he retires, but it will have to be as a reserve. The coaches determine the seven reserves from each conference, which will be announced next Thursday.
On Thursday’s TNT broadcast, Charles Barkley said he’s against Wade getting a spot in the All-Star Game based solely on this being his final NBA season.
“There are guys that are only going to make the All-Star team one time in their life,” Barkley said. “This might be their only time. ... We all love Dwyane Wade. But for the reserves, there are some guys I’m pulling for, who this might be the only time in their life they are going to make the All-Star team. That’s why I don’t like that.”
The 37-year-old Wade entered Friday averaging 13.8 points on 43 percent shooting, 3.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in a bench role for the Heat this season.
Wade’s competition for a backcourt reserve spot includes Simmons (16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists), Washington’s Bradley Beal (24.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5 assists), Milwaukee’s Eric Bledsoe (15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists) and Toronto’s Kyle Lowry (14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 9.4 assists). Indiana’s Victor Oladipo would have made this list, but he suffered a ruptured quad tendon Wednesday that will force him to miss the rest of the season.
All of these players are putting up better numbers than Wade, but his selection as a starter would have more to do with celebrating the final season of a Hall of Fame career and less to do with statistics.
“For the first time, I actually agree with Charles Barkley and what he said,” said Wade, who is a 12-time All-Star and has been voted in as a starter 10 times over the first 15 seasons of his NBA career. “There’s a lot of guys that get their first chance to be All-Stars [Simmons, Bledsoe, etc.], and if they deserve it then they deserve it and they should have those spots. I appreciate the love from my fans to even vote me, to have as many votes as I did. But from an All-Star standpoint, there’s multiple guys that deserve to be in there and I hope they get their opportunity.”
Rodney staying patient
Despite receiving his first DNP-coach’s decision (did not play, coach’s decision) of the season in Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers, Heat wing player Rodney McGruder is keeping a positive attitude about his role.
“Coach [Erik Spoelstra] has done a great job of keeping me focused, keeping my mind clear,” McGruder said before Friday’s game. “It’s just being prepared if my number is called. So I’m just sitting back waiting on my moment, hearing my number called. At the end of the night, just being a great teammate and doing all the little things that can help lead to a victory.”
Before Wednesday, McGruder had started in each of the 44 games he had been available for this season. He’s only been unavailable once, missing a Dec. 23 win over the Magic because of a stomach illness.
Tyler Johnson started in place of McGruder against the Clippers.
“You just have an understanding you only can control what you can control, that is being prepared and being professional,” McGruder said.
▪ Guard Dion Waiters missed Friday’s game against the Cavaliers because of a migraine.
This story was originally published January 25, 2019 at 1:51 PM.
